The goal of the Viral Respiratory Pathogens Research Unit contract is to establish and/or maintain a focused and coordinated preclinical and clinical viral respiratory pathogens research program that brings together expertise in microbial pathogenesis and infectious diseases, immunology, and clinical studies. The contract supports collaborative, multidisciplinary services to develop and conduct research designed to validate or lead to clinical studies and is focused on the major themes of: viral pathogenesis, evaluation of new and/or improved vaccines and therapeutics, and development of strategies that optimize the protective immune response.